MCFB's Board of Directors must include a President and Secretary as Board Officers, and no less than one additional Board Director. The Board of Directors may choose to elect a Vice-President and Treasurer as additional Board Officers, and up to eight additional Board Directors. In addition, if there is a county Women's Committee and/or a Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, the Chair of each committee shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors.
Board Officers are elected by Voting Members each year at the Annual MCFB Meeting (see Board Meetings). Other Board Directors, also elected at the Annual MCFB Meeting, serve staggered terms of two years. Only full MCFB Voting Members can serve on the Board of Directors. In addition to the Annual MCFB Meeting, the Board of Directors normally meets seven times throughout each year (see Board Meetings).
Board packets and minutes can be found on the Documents page.
Gabrielle Rossi - Board Director
Gabrielle is a managing partner at Rossi Farms in northeast Portland. She originally became involved with the MCFB Board of Directors in 2018 but stepped away from that role while she served as the Chief of Staff to the USDA Deputy Administrator from 2019 – 2021. Gabrielle has also previously served as a Board Director for the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District and as a Customer Relations and Market Research Specialist at Cal Farms. She recently rejoined MCFB’s Board of Directors in May of 2022. Gabrielle earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Portland State University in 2011.
Al Garre - Board Director
Al’s grandfather started the family farm in northeast Portland in 1920. Al took over the operation in 1984. The family farm has always grown fresh market vegetables. Since Al entered semi-retirement in 2018, the farm has produced a small amount of herbs. Al became an MCFB member when he took over the farm in 1984. It was around that same time that he joined the MCFB Board. His current term as a Board Director expires in 2020. Al has always tried to actively support OFB and MCFB but feels he has gotten more out of the organization than he has given to it. It is Al’s firm belief that OFB and MCFB do more for family farms than any other group. Al received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1971 from Oregon State University.
Scott Reed - Board Director
Scott and his wife, Stacy, own and operate Springwood Acres farm in the northwest hills of Portland. The Reeds with their four children maintain flocks of pastured raised laying hens and a breeding herd of Boer goats. Scott obtained a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Davis in 1999. In 2021, he was elected to the MCFB Board Directors.
Deniece Tucker - Treasurer
Deniece was born and raised on her family’s farm located east of Troutdale near the Sandy River. The property was homesteaded in 1853 and has been farmed since 1952. Deniece and her family historically raised cattle and grew raspberries but converted to growing nursery stock in 2001 due to market changes. A member of the Multnomah County Farm Bureau since 1999, Deniece joined the Board of Directors in 2000 and has served as the Board President (2007-2008) and Vice-President (2009-2018). Deniece is currently serving as the Board Treasurer. Deniece holds an Associate Degree in Accounting, is an Oregon licensed tax consultant, and is a federally licensed tax agent.
Helen Bushue - Board Director
Helen and her husband, Barry, own and operate a small family farm east of Orient. Farm production includes greenhouse flowers, u-pick strawberries, and a fall pumpkin patch (with associated agritourism activities). Helen has been an MCFB member since 1988, served as the county Secretary and Treasurer for 25 years, and is now serving as a Board Director. Helen obtained a Bachelor of Education from Adelaide College of Advanced Education.
Joe Rossi - Board Director
Joe is a fourth-generation farmer in northeast Portland and currently farms alongside his daughter, Gabrielle Rossi. Joe and Gabrielle’s farm has always produced row crop fresh vegetables for sale and distribution in the Portland Metro area. As an urban farm, the location also avails itself to event space and farm tours. As a result, the farm is active in the community and the local Parkrose School District activities (the middle school and high school are built on two sections of the historic farm). Community and school engagement are traditions that Joe’s dad started and one that he continues today with Gabrielle. Being in an urban environment, the farm serves as a window into agriculture for our state. Joe and his family have been Multnomah County Farm Bureau members for more than 50 years. Joe became more involved when he joined the MCFB Board of Directors in 2018. Joe graduated from Parkrose High School and studied business at Portland State University before becoming a fulltime farmer.
Matt Gallant – Board Director
Matt comes from a long line of farm families. His great grandparents farmed in Ontario, Canada. His grandparents farmed in northern Minnesota, prior to moving to Oregon in 1948 and purchasing a small farm in outer SE Portland. Matt’s parents purchased their current farm in Boring in 1978.They grew strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, and marionberries. As Matt’s Dad began retiring in the early 2000s, Matt began operating the farm. He transitioned it to beef cattle, grass hay, alfalfa, wheat, oats, and pumpkins. Currently the farm is owned and operated by Matt, his wife Ann, and their youngest four sons Ethan, Cole, Dane, and Matthew. Oldest son, Riley, is presently farming in Central Oregon. Prior to returning to the family farm, Matt received a degree in Mechanical Engineering and spent 13 years as a construction project engineer on numerous power plant and renewable fuel projects across the US and China. Matt started his term as a MCFB Board Director in 2023. He feels that Farm Bureau is an important organization that represents all farmers and strives to preserve and enhance all facets of agriculture.
Larry Bailey - President
A native Oregonian, Larry comes from a farming family. His grandparents farmed in North Dakota and then in Amity, Oregon. Larry grew up farming duck lakes outside Amity with his uncle. He and his wife, Angi Bailey, have owned and operated Verna Jean Nursery east of Gresham since 2005. At Verna Jean Nursery, they grow and sell Japanese Maples at all stages of development, from seeds to seedlings to grafted liners to finished nursery stock. Larry has been a Farm Bureau Member since 2005 and joined the MCFB Board in 2009. Larry was elected the MCFB Board President in 2018. In addition to having a farming background, Larry brings an extensive educational background to MCFB, including a B.S. in Applied Science/Chemistry from George Fox University and University of Washington, B.S. in Chemical Engineering/Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University.